A few months ago I was covering one of the many bands within the Jünger Tumilon collective, as Arkhaiik had returned with an album that explored hunting in the Bronze Age through slow burning death/doom and death/black metal with tribal elements woven in. Like many of the others in the collective, the thematic focus extended to both the instrumentation and lyrics, making for an album that really came into its own. I wasn’t expecting another artist associated with Jünger Tumilon to put out material so soon, but a bit over a month after the Arkhaaik album a new project called Arrows emerged. Unlike the rest, this one doesn’t stick to a single concept and lets its core contributors have a bit more freedom. With this in mind, debut album Yearning Arrows; Cloven Suns has some similarities to the other projects its members are a part of but forges its own path within black and death metal.
Where some of the other Jünger Tumilon have more of a slower, methodical approach to their instrumentation, the way that Arrows explodes out of the gate showcases the more fluid approach to writing and way that the songs came together. “Spitting Heads” begins with a soft, haunting intro for the first thirty seconds or so and then whips things up into a faster tempo where the layers of pounding drums and soaring riffs create a powerful and entrancing atmosphere. The way “Spitting Heads” unfolds and transforms keeps you captivated from beginning to end, as when it slows down slightly some diverse rhythms and melodies that make these sections stand out over repeat listens. Stylistically I can hear pieces of other Jünger Tumilon bands, but it also comes through like a combination of The Ruins of Beverast and Mgła at times as there’s a similar sense of power. “At War With Peace” follows a similar trajectory as the first track, but there is so much intensity to each layer that the riffs feel almost overwhelming in how they pummel you. From there “A Glance at the Abyss” showcases Arrows’ desire to explore different ideas, as the first half slows things way down towards more of a gothic metal/doom tone that has more of a melancholic, reflective feel. There are still some denser, crushing moments, but the way it progresses differentiates it from the other songs. “To Quell a Thousand Necks” feels like the culmination of all the elements from the other three tracks, as not only is it a few minutes longer but it takes the black, death, and doom and transforms them into yet another configuration. Here the rhythms really shine, as the drum work has a more fluid cadence and allows for the riffs to dance over top of it. It’s harsh yet intoxicating and reminds me of what has drawn me to this type of metal for so long. At under forty minutes the conciseness keeps things from dragging, and there are plenty of additional details to discover once the initial wow factor of some of the leads wears off.
Vocal work on Yearning Arrows; Cloven Suns is split between Menetekel and Darvish, who you will likely recognize if you’ve spent time with any of the other Jünger Tumilon groups. With Arrows the performance moves seamlessly between harsher screams/growls and powerful clean singing, with each song showcasing quite a bit of variety. The more abrasive and booming growls are where more of The Ruins of Beverast comparisons are likely to come from, as the pitch is very similar to Alexander von Meilenwald and some of the vocal distortion on “Spitting Heads” reminds me of the Blood Vaults era of that band. But when you add in all the different sung, chanted, and other clean approaches along with other yells and screams, Arrows establishes their own identity on the vocal front that stands out as much as the instrumentation. “A Glance at the Abyss” is another great example, as the shift towards some gothic metal/doom extends to the vocals and there are a lot of haunting cleans that dominate the early sections before the growls come roaring back in.
Yearning Arrows; Cloven Suns has been in the works for a bit, but it’s arrival was unexpected as the news of the band’s existence, first live performance, and album release all occurred very close together. But given the vast wealth of experience its members has, its not surprising Arrows has come out of the gate with such an incredibly compelling effort. It’s possible they may be overshadowed at this stage by some of the Jünger Tumilon bands that are signed to labels or have multiple albums under their belt, but don’t let this new incarnation pass you by as it has so much to offer.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg